San Ramon Regional Medical Center Nationally Recognized for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

San Ramon, Calif. – San Ramon Regional Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“San Ramon Regional Medical Center is committed to delivering excellent patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Ann Lucena, CEO of San Ramon Regional Medical Center. “We are proud to receive the American Heart Association’s recognition as it confirms we are following evidence-based guidelines that studies show can help patients recover better. Our goal is to deliver excellent health care every day so the people of the Tri-Valley Area can live longer, healthier lives.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize San Ramon Regional Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

San Ramon Regional Medical Center also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.

Additionally, San Ramon Regional Medical Center received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

San Ramon Regional Medical Center is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. Part of the Contra Costa County Stroke System, launched in 2012, the hospital’s Emergency Department is a stroke receiving center for the county and provides rapid diagnosis and treatment. The Stroke System is a coordinated 911 emergency response, linking patients to trained emergency medical providers who identify stroke victims and rapidly transport them to designated stroke-certified hospitals within the critical treatment time window. This teamwork is known to significantly reduce brain damage and save lives. Every minute counts when someone is experiencing a medical emergency such as a stroke or heart attack, and the San Ramon Regional Medical Center team is able to provide those patients with immediate attention.